


abandon ship

by why_cello_there



Series: My D&D writings [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Dungeons & Dragons Character Backstory, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Minor Character Death, Mutiny, Pirates, mention of corpses, mention of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22693150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/why_cello_there/pseuds/why_cello_there
Summary: Sixteen nights before the mutiny***This is a part of my rogue's backstory that I wanted to flesh out and write properly (as well as get a feel for some of the background characters in her story, though I really only developed one)
Series: My D&D writings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759036
Kudos: 2





	abandon ship

**Author's Note:**

> so just a bit of a rundown: Silvertongue is the captain of this ship, and he is a Bastard. Rafina is in denial about his poor treatment of *all* the crew, including her. 
> 
> also I originally wanted this to just be a cute character study of the other crew members, but it ended up hurting me and being Important Backstory Things™ so oof i guess. also i apologise for how incomprehensible this is, it was really hard to write for some reason

In the middle of the Kelliers Ocean, a tallship floats still (or as still as a ship can be when at the mercy of the ocean). It’s oddly quiet, oddly calm, and an oddly sleepless night for the daughter of the ship. (This is what the rest of the crew calls Rafina Glave, who pretends not to know the nickname. The rest of the crew pretends they don’t know _she_ knows.)

Perhaps it’s the pain of a still-healing scar that keeps her up, or maybe—no, it’s definitely the wound, she decides, leaning against one of the masts. Silvertongue had really done a number on her last week—a sparring match that had gone too far—and while Virro’s a skilled medic, there’s only so much he can do, and healing still takes time.

“ _And it’ll take longer if you keep messing with the stitches, Rafina,_ ” she mocks to herself, tapping the hilt of her dagger against the mast behind her in an attempt to keep her hands busy. She’s careful to be quiet—Silvertongue’s a light sleeper, and she’d rather not wake him up. Rafina _really_ doesn’t want to start another fight, because Silvertongue sleeps with a dagger by his side and he’s not afraid to use it, and she doesn’t want to wake up Virro because he literally _just_ stitched up her face and he’ll be pissed at her for getting herself hurt again, and—

“ _Shit,_ ” she hisses, tasting copper and realising that she’s been worrying at her bottom lip. It’s immature and she knows it, but kicking bad habits has never been Rafina’s strong point. She grimaces as she sheathes her dagger; blood really does taste vile.

Rafina glances around, then makes a run for the rigging. If there’s one thing she can count on, it’s the strength that lets her scurry up the ropes without much trouble. She’s proud, too, of being able to do it in relative silence.

Of course, being stealthy doesn’t matter when she finds the crow’s nest already occupied. Rafina sighs, rolling her good eye exaggeratedly (it doesn’t really matter if she rolls the other one, since the patch is there). “Dammit, Nora. Can’t I get the ‘nest to myself sometimes?”

Nora laughs without bothering to be quiet about it. “You do, most nights. Just thought I’d beat ya to it for once,” she says, standing and leaning against the railing. “Besides, it’s big enough for two.”

“Yeah, ‘specially when one of us is a halfling,” Rafina teases, climbing in and sitting on the floor of the crow’s nest. 

“Hey, at least I’m average for my race. You’d be a tall dwarf,” Nora retorts, earning a slap to her shoulder. “It’s true!”

“Shut up!” Rafina complains, though she can’t stop a giggle from slipping its way past her lips.

“Alright, alright!” Nora says, grinning at Rafina. Her expression soon shifts to one of concern, and Rafina knows exactly what she’s going to say.

“Look, it’s _fine_. We all get injured sometimes,” she says, trying not to sound defensive. “We’re _pirates_ , Nora.”

Nora sighs. “He’s never slashed _me_ across the face,” she says, frowning.

“Yeah, well, you’re a cook—still an apprentice, right?” Rafina says. “Combat isn’t your top priority—not that you _can’t_ defend yourself, but—anyway, I’m gonna be first mate some day, and I can’t let a few training injuries get to me.” She pauses, scrunches up her nose for a moment. “Well, maybe _second_ mate. I don’t think Albida’s really the sort of person who dies,” she says, chuckling.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Nora says, nodding. There’s a long, uncomfortable pause, before she speaks up again. “She might… Y’know… Leave.”

“What?!” Rafina responds, suddenly sitting up straighter. “Why the hell would she _do_ that?”

“Rafina, listen—”

“Nora, that’s– that’s _insane._ You’re joking, aren’t you?” she asks, before looking worried. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Nora sighs, trying not to meet Rafina’s gaze. “Look, Rafina… I don’t know what you see in Silvertongue,” she admits, ignoring Rafina’s shocked gasp. “I mean, look at yourself!” Nora gestures to her own face to indicate Rafina’s most recent injury. “He’s needlessly cruel, he works us to the bone, and for what? I haven’t seen a single copper piece since we last docked!”

Rafina frowns. “So you’re going to _mutiny?_ Is that what you’re saying? Nora, that’s _ridiculous_ ,” she says, scoffing. “He’s a little tough, sure, but he’s our _Captain_. We’d be _nowhere_ without him! And of course he’s a hardass, we’re _pirates_ for fuck’s sake!” It’s tempting to go further; Rafina knows she’ll regret it. But she goes further anyway, because fuck it, if everyone’s abandoning ship, she’ll never have to see Nora or anyone else ever again.

“I know this place isn’t up to your stuffy privateer standards, but shit’s hard sometimes, in case you didn’t notice!” Rafina stands, enraged, and spits onto the floor of the crow’s nest; she barely misses Nora’s shoe. “If you’re not going to be loyal, then I don’t care what you do. Desert for all I care—we don’t want you on this ship if you don’t wanna be here.” Rafina makes a move for her dagger. “I won’t get in your way, but don’t get in mine.”

Nora moves faster than her, hopping onto the railing to get the higher ground; she grabs Rafina’s wrist and twists it painfully, forcing her to drop her dagger. Nora grabs it and presses the flat of the blade against Rafina’s throat; the threat of the sharp edge forces Rafina to freeze. 

“If you say a _word_ about this to your _Captain,_ ”— the mockery stings more than any cantrip could — “he’ll find your body face down in the harbour and he won’t even know it’s you.” Nora presses the dagger into Rafina’s throat to emphasise. “I’m not forcing you to go with us. Keep fighting for him if you like. But you’re on your own.” She drops the dagger by Rafina’s feet, then hops down to the rigging before Rafina can respond. 

Rafina only picks it up long after Nora has disappeared below deck, and she’s not sure whether to follow her. She debates herself on what to do until she sees the sun rise, and then she can’t decide anything because Virro’s called everyone to the deck for breakfast, and then she kind of forgets to wonder what to do until it’s the middle of the night again and she can’t _do_ anything without incurring someone’s anger.

Sixteen days later, they dock a little way off of Nemract, and Albida sends her to the town to fetch some rations. When Rafina arrives back at the bay, the Grey Ghost has disappeared, and there are bodies she recognises in the water. 

None of them are her Captain, thank the gods. But that still leaves Rafina with the ache in her chest that comes with realising that everyone she knows is gone. 

_Alright. I guess I’ll go it alone._ She remembers a story that Silvertongue told her, once; about how he started with nothing at all, and earned his ship, his crew, his infamy, through hard work. 

_“You think I could do that, too?”_ she’d asked, wide-eyed. Silvertongue had chuckled.

_“If you start from nothing,”_ he’d said, maybe jokingly.

Rafina Glave has nothing. 

_I’ll show him how great I can be._


End file.
